“I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 24:14–15, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Clearly these texts from Ezekiel speak of God’s impending judgement on Judah. After many warnings and lesser forms of punishment. That is, for a long time He had pity, relented and held back, giving them ample opportunity to change their conduct. They did not. So, eventually the time “[came] for [Him] to act” without holding back.
My Advice – But He did not turn His back forever. “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:3–5, NIV 1984).
Might. Meaning the possibility of redemption and adoption. As opposed to right. A power or privilege to which one is justly entitled. No one is justly entitled to salvation. It took the sacrifice of the just Son of God to extend the possibility.
So, how does might become right? “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:11–13, NIV 1984). Also known as born of the Spirit, born from above, and born again.
We must not “hold back.” If we do, “because of [our] stubbornness and [our] unrepentant heart, [we] are storing up wrath against [ourselves] for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done.’ For those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans 2:5–6, 8, NIV 1984).
“[We] will be judged according to [our] conduct and [our] actions, declares the Sovereign Lord.” He is giving each one of us enough time. No one will be able to say they did not have the opportunity to believe and receive. If we “reject the truth…the time [will] come [and He will] act. [He] will not hold back; [He] will not have pity, nor will [He] relent.“
But his time, He will turn His back forever. For “if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Hebrews 10:26–27, NIV 1984). There is no sacrifice greater than the Son of God. So, no sacrifice is left. We must do the “right” thing, not the “might” thing.
The Brew Is A Musing 